Why is Zendesk slow when I work from home?

Question

Zendesk is slow to load and lagging when I work remotely. I'm having a lot of performance issues. How do I fix this? 

Answer 

If Zendesk is running slow and there are no active Service Incidents, you'll want to do some troubleshooting of your own.

First, identify the root cause of the issue. Is it a network connectivity issue? A hardware issue? Or maybe a browser or software issue?

To do this, consider what is different from when you work at the office. Are you on a different computer or device? Are you on a different network? Do you have different extensions or apps running?

Pinpoint the issue by running some tests:

• Try another computer or device.
• Check if the slowness continues when you use a hotspot instead of your local internet connection.
• Disable your browser extensions and close down unused apps.

Computer or device troubleshooting

If the issue is specific to your computer or device, close all your programs and applications and restart your computer or device. This is often a quick fix for a lot of problems at once. It clears out any background errors, shuts down unused programs taking up bandwidth, processes updates if necessary, and more.

Some other things you can do to improve speed are:

• Check that your device and browser meet the Zendesk Support system requirements.
• Make sure you don’t have too many tabs open. A lot of Zendesk tabs can cause lag and interfere with each other.
• Make sure you aren't having any trouble with apps. For more information, see this article: How can I troubleshoot issues with apps.

Network connectivity troubleshooting

The most common issue users face when switching to working remotely is a poor network connection. Even if you are on a VPN, your local network connectivity and speed can slow you down. Try these troubleshooting steps to get back up to speed:

• Check if your firewall is blocking important internet traffic. For more information, see this article: Configuring your firewall for use with Zendesk
• Close down any extra tabs, background programs, apps, or anything else that could be interfering with loading time or hogging bandwidth.
• Diagnose if you’re experiencing slow internet speeds by running an internet speed test. For example, Google speed test. 

If you find you are experiencing connectivity issues and you want help getting back up and running, you can always skip the next steps below and get in touch with your internet service provider directly. They can walk you through tests, resets, and whatever else needs to be done to get your internet connection back up to speed.

If you’d rather troubleshoot for yourself, try this:

• Reset your router and modem. This solves most internet connection issues.
• Plug in your computer directly to your modem using an ethernet cable, rather than relying on WiFi. This may help if your WiFi is weak or is having trouble broadcasting through walls or other obstacles.
• If none of the above works, get in touch with your internet service provider for more help. They may need to do a reset or other fixes on their end.